Canadian drillers set hot summer pace

Gary Park, Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

Operators set a lively pace in June, pushing first-half well completions in Canada to 7,788, comfortably ahead of last year’s total of 6,833 to the mid-point, but lagging 15 percent behind the 2001 record of 9,126, partly because wet spring conditions stalled programs.

The normal spring and summer downturn is less evident this year, with 1,904 wells assigned final status in June, beating the 2001 record for the month of 1,651.

Northern Canada made a modest showing, with seven exploration wells and one development, compared with five development and three exploration wells for the same period of 2002.

Of the total for Canada, gas targets claimed 5,173 completions or 66 percent of all wells; oil 1,823, dry holes 697 and service wells 95.

Alberta logged 6,031 wells, up from 5,547 last year; Saskatchewan surged to 1,284, its second highest six-month total since 1981 and strongly ahead of last year’s 751; British Columbia accounted for 395 completions, 310 of them chasing gas prospects, a drop of 60 wells from the count to the end of June 2002. Eastern Canada added 39 wells and Manitoba 31.

The combined depth of this year’s wells was 27.7 million feet, against 26 million feet last year and 33.16 million feet in the record year of 2001.